How Not to be a Doubting Thomas (John 20:24-29)

©Copyright April 21, 2019 EASTER by Rev. Bruce Goettsche

Sometimes people get labels and nicknames they don't deserve. "Fraidy Cat," "Slow-learner," "Ugly," "Timid," "indifferent," What was my nickname? It doesn’t matter!

The thing about nicknames is they often stick. There were nicknames in the Bible. James and John were given the nickname by Jesus: the "Sons of Thunder," Simon Peter was "the Rock." Thomas was known as "The twin." At least, that is what he used to be called. Now he is better known as "doubting" Thomas. It is not a flattering nickname.

This morning I want to look at this man, his story, and his encounter with Jesus after his resurrection. My hope is we will learn from his example, so we will believe and not doubt. Let's go back to the account in John. chapter 20.

24One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. 25They told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”

26Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”

28“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.

29Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

The other two times we read of Thomas are also in the Gospel of John. In John 11:16 Thomas, responding to Jesus’ resolve to go to Jerusalem even though it was dangerous said, “let us also go, that we may die with him.”Here we see a loyal (albeit pessimistic) disciple.

In John 14:5 Thomas was listening to Jesus talk of the many rooms Jesus would prepare in His Father’s house. When He was finished, he said he would return and bring them to the place prepared. Jesus said, “You know the way to the place I am going.” Thomas, maybe a little slow…or maybe just honest, says, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”This question prompted the famous words, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father except through me.”Thomas was a willing believer.

Thomas must have had other business on the first Easter because He was absent when all the action was taking place. Mary had come back from the tomb as did Peter and John, the men on the road to Emmaus arrived home, realized they had been traveling with Jesus and returned to Jerusalem to tell the disciples they had seen Jesus! While they were all gathered together, Jesus appeared in their midst.

Can you imagine the excitement in their voice as they told Thomas the Lord was alive and they had seen Him? I am sure Thomas was intrigued but he had also been on an emotional roller coaster. He just couldn't allow himself to hope again. Perhaps he knew he couldn't take any other disappointments.

The next Sunday night they are all gathered again in a locked room because it was still dangerous to be a Christ-follower. The talk of a resurrection surely infuriated both the Romans and the Jewish leaders. But this week, the attitude was different when they gathered, despair had turned to hope.

While they met together Jesus appeared. His body appears to have been both the same and different. He was recognizable, you could still see His wounds, but he also had a new spirit quality about Him which appears to have allowed Him to just appear in the room. . . a room that was locked.

In an act, I believe, more of kindness than rebuke, Jesus encouraged Thomas to examine the wounds in His hands, feet, and side. He understood the reason for Thomas' doubt.

What Thomas says next is noteworthy, he exclaimed, "My Lord, and My God." As a Jew, Thomas had likely repeated the Shema every day, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One." He knew it was blasphemy to call someone "God." Yet, he does it. Why? Because He was convinced Jesus was God in human form.

Thomas did not call Jesus, "Master," "Teacher," or even "Messiah." The Word translated "Lord" is the same word used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament word for God's High Name (Yahweh). When Peter and John are later called gods, they ripped their clothes and rebuked the people. However, there was no hint of a rebuke on the lips of Jesus. I imagine a slight smile on his face. Jesus pronounced a blessing on Thomas and then on those who would believe without seeing. People like you and me.

The Resurrection of Jesus is the most significant event in history. Perhaps as you sit here today you are little like Thomas. You want to believe it is true, but you are surrounded by so many deceivers who want to fleece you of your hard-earned money that you have become understandably cynical.

The Reality of Doubt

Let me make a couple of observations: Doubt is not Unusual and not in itself sinful. As we read through the Bible the one thing we notice is, many people doubt.

There are many things that create doubt in our heads.

Senseless tragedy

"Natural Disasters"

Birth abnormalities

Relentless pain in our body

Seemingly unending frustration and closed doors

We have doubts sometimes even about the message of Christianity that we can be forgiven through the death of Christ and live even after we die. The message of the gospel is staggering, so staggering if you will, you need to pinch yourself to see if it is true or just a dream.

We have a word for people who never question or doubt. We call them gullible. They are the people the scammers of the world look for.

Doubt can be a springboard for growth. If doubt makes you dig deeper, if it leads you to examine the claims of Christ, you will come out of the time of doubt stronger in your faith. Thomas went from reluctance to the boldest declaration of the deity (or God-nature) of Jesus on record as soon as he saw the evidence.

Oswald Chambers says, "Doubt is not always a sign that a man is wrong; it may be a sign that he is thinking."

There are many people who profess skepticism and doubt not because of a lack of evidence but because they are rationalizing their own sin. I believe anyone who is willing to examine the evidence will find it compelling.

When doubts creep into my head I always return to the Resurrection of Jesus as my antidote to doubt.

The surety of His death. The spear in the side, the experienced executioners, the blood loss all say He was really and truly dead.

The empty tomb that had been guarded by soldiers to keep this very thing from happening makes the story people stole the body implausible.

The number of eyewitnesses to the resurrected Christ (Paul notes over 500 people saw Him at one time). John says he wrote about what he witnessed firsthand. This was not someone who did research and came to conclusions! He was a first-hand witness!

The appearances lasted over several weeks! It appears Jesus was seen periodically over a period of 40 days. This was no mass delusion.

The radical change in the behavior of the disciples indicates something life-altering happened. These guys went from hiding in the upper room to standing on the temple steps boldly declaring Jesus to be the One Israel had waited for all this time. Something happened! It seems reasonable to listen to what the disciples themselves say happened.

And then there are the changed lives over thousands of years. People like the Apostle Paul have been radically transformed. There are hundreds of thousands or more of such dramatic stories. One of those stories may be yours!

I am convinced of the truthfulness of the gospel. And in those times when Satan whispers get into my ear, I return to the evidence. You don't have to be afraid of doubt, but you do need to face it. You need to ask if the doubt is a smoke screen or if it is real. You can't simply walk away because you don't know . . . examine the evidence! There are many good books on the resurrection but start by simply reading the accounts in the Bible. Listen to the testimony of those who were there.

Do you know what happened to Thomas? Tradition says Thomas went to India to preach the gospel. He preached in a country of many gods that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. If the tradition is true, Thomas was executed in Madras, India. This doubter became a fearless follower and witness to what He had seen.

Conclusions

Jesus said to Thomas, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

The primary meaning of blessedness is: "to be looked on favorably by God." It is more about the disposition of God than it is about our happiness. Jesus told Thomas that God is especially pleased that there will be people (like us) who will believe in Christ even though we have not seen Him.

I hope most of us here believe in George Washington even though we have never met him or seen a photograph of him. We believe there was a George Washington because of the pages of history that tell us so. I believe the most reliable history text in the world today is the Bible. It has been carefully transmitted over the years. Archaeology has shown very little variance in copies of the Bible from well before the time of Jesus to now. As a sacred book, it has been carefully guarded.

So where do we go from here? First, Face Your Doubt. Be honest about them. Use the doubts as motivation to examine the evidence. Read through the gospels. Listen to what Jesus said. Pay attention to what He did. Look with marvel at the way He endured the cross and how He stood silent during the great miscarriage of justice that was taking place. SEE HIM.

Then look at the Resurrection. How else would you explain the facts?

Second, be honest with God; Confess your doubt. God can handle your doubt. He won't be surprised, taken off guard, or angry. He already knows, so discuss it with Him! Talk it through with Him. Combine this with the reading of Scripture and your doubts may dissolve as you draw close to Him.

Third, if you have never done so, turn to Jesus as your Savior. Unfortunately, many people have lots of academic information about Jesus. They have read books (some have even written books) and know lots of information about Jesus. Some have hung around the church for years and could tell someone else what it means to believe in Jesus. The thing is, the information is all academic. They have never turned to Him to forgive their sin. They have never entered into a vital relationship with Jesus. You will never know for certain until you dare to trust Him.

Is it possible you have just been going through the motions? Maybe you said a prayer or were baptized but you did this because this is what you thought you were supposed to do to be a good person. Maybe you have tried really hard to reform your life or to do nice things for others. Perhaps you wonder if it has been enough. Jesus doesn't call us to do things to save ourselves! He invites us to come to Him and receive a salvation He has already provided for us!

Where are you? Are you an academic Christian? Are you a Christian in the sense that you belong to a church or have performed certain rituals? Or have you come with the broken pieces of your life and placed them at the feet of Jesus, trusting Him to do for you what you could never do for yourself? Do you understand that He didn't come as a good teacher, He came as a Savior? He calls to you, "Come, you who are weary and so heavily burdened, and I will give you rest."

Fourth, begin to follow Jesus to new life. Jesus did not come simply to pay for our sin; He came to lead us in a new direction. He came to take us off the treadmill of impulsive living and show us what it means to live as a Child of God.

The Bible is not given to us as a rule book designed to help us be better people. It is meant to set us free.

The Constitution of the United States has many regulations in it. But these laws and regulations were not written to enslave us, they were written to preserve and protect our freedom. It is not an oppressive document, it is a liberating document! This is what the Bible is. It is not a bunch of rules that are designed to keep us from enjoying life . . . on the contrary, the Word of God opens up a grand and wonderful life and way of living we never knew existed. Yes, it is different. It is not what everyone else thinks and does. But that's the point. God gave us the Bible to show us how He intended us to live. It shows us the life we were made for.

The last step in this process of living the new life in Christ is to refocus, refocus and refocus.

Every time you find yourself overwhelmed, remind yourself that your life is in His perfectly capable hands.

Every time circumstances start to make you tense remind yourself that this world is not your home. You are living now to live again.

When your body is not doing what you wish it was doing, remind yourself that when our earthly body is destroyed we will be given a heavenly body that will neither decay or wear out.

When doubt keeps whispering in your ear, remind yourself of the evidence for the resurrection. Remember that you have entrusted your life to the man who rose from the dead.

When you are distressed because someone seems to be heading down a bad road, remind yourself that God is in the business of changing lives. He bring dead men back to life, He shows lost people the way home.

When you find yourself pulled in many directions and it seems your priorities have been highjacked by others, remind yourself of the promise of Jesus: If we seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and His righteousness . . . the other things will take care of themselves.

Easter is not just about a historical event, it is about living right here and right now. It changes our focus, our values, and our energy level. It unplugs fear from any real power source.

So, don't just go through the motions this Easter. Take the time to look at His hands and His feet. Recount the evidence for the Resurrection and then go back to building your life on a foundation that is solid and sure. And every now and again, when you catch a glimpse of who He really is in all His grandeur, don't be surprised if you gasp with wonder and say with Thomas, My Lord, and my God.